SOUTHBOROUGH – Calling it "reprehensible," financial Advisory Committee member John Butler last week called on selectmen to stop its occasional practice of using police officers to deliver letters to residents.

"It’s not reflective of the society I want to be a part of," Butler said at the committee’s June 23 meeting, referencing a letter selectmen had police deliver to resident David Parry on March 31.

In the letter, selectmen ordered Parry to stop misrepresenting himself as a selectman to the state. A voicemail released by selectmen that was left with a state worker appears to show Parry identifying himself as a selectman while requesting some information.

Selectmen at the time said they all signed off on the letter, and said using a police officer to deliver it was the quickest and most reliable way to ensure it was received.

But Butler said part of the letter smacks of political intimidation.

In the second paragraph, selectmen ordered Parry to "cease and desist" from making markings on library property. Parry had been marking up sections of the intersection of routes 85 and 30 as part of his effort to scale back a scheduled reconstruction of Main Street.

The library isn’t controlled by selectmen, but by the Library Board of Trustees.

"That (paragraph) was essentially political content," Butler said, adding that he "profoundly objects" to what he sees as an intimidation technique.

Member Karen Muggeridge said she is also concerned, noting that one of the selectmen, Daniel Kolenda, was at the time running against Parry for re-election to the board.

Butler presented a draft bylaw he’s considering bringing to Town Meeting that would bar selectmen from using police or constables to deliver messages unless required by state law or town code.

Former Advisory member Al Hamilton spoke in favor of the idea, noting a situation that happened in 2010 in which selectmen used police to deliver a message ordering a blogger to reveal the identity of an online commenter.

"The harassment and intimidation (in that case) was the worst thing I’ve ever seen in town government," he said. "It was despicable."

Hamilton urged officials to "toughen up" about what people say about them. If selectmen suspect criminal activity, they should ask the police to investigate, not ask them to send a message, he said.

"It’s hard enough to get people to run for office, let alone have to worry about whether a police officer is going to show up to your door," he said.

Selectman Chairman Bill Boland defended the letter at the meeting. He said it is common practice to use police to send important messages and could also be significant if legal action was ever needed.

The State Ethics Commission does not appear to have any recent rulings on the subject of selectmen using police to deliver messages. The Commission does not comment on individual situations.

Page 2 of 2 - Brad Petrishen can be reached at 508-490-7463 or bpetrishen@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @BPetrishen_MWDN.